Cover device



Jan. 24, 1956 v, J, BRAUN 2,731,972

COVER DEVICE Filed Jan. 19, 1953 Jan/MM 31 24 d/xad/r 1/4 INVENTOR.

HWHJI 177mm: x

United States Patent '0 2,731,972 COVER DEVICE Virgilius Joseph Braun,Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Hughes AircraftCompany, a corporation of Delaware Application January 19, 1953, SerialNo. 332,030 2 Claims. (Cl. 135--5) This invention relates generally tomeans for protecting articles or their contents, and more particularlyto a spring-like, self-releasing cover device suitable, for example, forproviding a protective covering for an article, and which is capable ofbeing easily removed from the article with a minimum amount of handlingand damage to the article.

Cover devices, as employed heretofore, generally require someapplication of force to remove them, and the transfer of such force tothe article itself may damage the article. Such damage to the articlemay represent a considerable loss of time and investment.

This invention provides a protective cover device which requires aminimum of handling to release-it from an article and which permits theuse o'fprotective coverings having characteristics desired for optimumprotection for the particular article to be covered. In accordance withone embodiment of this invention, the cover device includes a hub memberfrom which a plurality of spoke-like, flexible rod members extend. Theouter ends of the rods are flexed, in the same direction, toward theaxis of the hub member, and they are maintained in the flexed positionby a suitable banding element, which maybe wire cord, or a fiber strap,that engages the ends thereof. A covering material such as paper or foilsurrounds the hub member and rods to provide a bag-like protecting coverto be placed over the article. When it is desired to remove the cover,the banding element may be parted, as by being broken or cut, "to freethe flexed rods for movement away from the axis of the hub member. Therods are adapted to spring from their flexed positions and lift or foldthe covering material therewith. Subsequently, the entire assembly maybe lifted away from the exposed article.

It is, therefore, an object of thisinvention to provide an improvedcovering device for protecting articles and/ or their contents, in whicha covering material surrounds spring-like elements held in flexedcondition, and in which such spring-like elements may be freed to unfiexand provide for easy removal of the covering material from the article.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved coverdevice which may surround an article to be protected, and which requiresa minimum of handling for removal thereof from the article.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide an improvedcover device for protecting articles which employs a minimum number ofinexpensive component parts of simple design and which is capable ofreliable operation.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to its organization and method of operation, togetherwith. further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understoodfrom that following description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which preferred embodiments of the inventionare illustrated by way of example. The

scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims. Referringto the drawing:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the skeletal structure of a cover device inaccordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation, with certain parts being broken away, ofa cover device utilizing the skeletal structure of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation, parts being broken away, of a secondembodiment of the cover device shown in Fig. 2 for use as a covering forbottles, also in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating still another embodiment ofthe cover device of the invention shown in Fig. 2 to provide a verysimple but effective protective covering for the protection of smallplants; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the skeletal strucrure of theprotective cover device shown in Fig. 4 after removal of the covering.

Referring to the drawing, in which like reference characters indicatelike parts throughout, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the coverdevice of this invention employs a skeletal structure comprising acentral member or hub 10. Spaced about the periphery of the hub inspoke-like fashion are a number of flexible rods 12. The inner ends ofthese rods are secured in the lateral peripheral surface of the hub 19.Spaced a short distance from the outer end of each rod is a depressionor recess 14 which, as will now be explained with reference to Fig. 2,provides means for securing the rods 12 in a flexed condition.

As shown in Fi 2, the rods 12 have their ends pulled inward toward theaxis of the hub 10. They are maintained in this flexed position by abanding element, such as a stray or wire 16 which surrounds all the rods12. To insure that rods 12 will be held flexed, the banding wire 16 maythread through loops formed by the rods 12 adjacent their ends, or, asshown in Fig. 2 the banding wire 16 may rest in depressions 14 at theouter ends of rods 12. The banding wire 16 has its ends connected by asuitable connecting link member 18. Surrounding the rods 12, andextending from the hub 10 substantially to the ends of the rods 12, is asuitable cover or covering material 20 for enclosing and protecting anarticle.

In the present embodiment of this invention, the cover device is placedover an article, as schematically indicated at 22. The banding wire 16,which is placed over the rods 12 and covering material 20, is drawntight so as to secure the rods 12 and covering material 20 tightly aboutthe article 22. In this manner, a suitable dust-tight covering for thearticle 22 is provided. When it is desired to remove such covering fromthe device 22, the mechanical connection between the ends of the bandingwire 16, as provided by the connecting link 18, may be broken. Themanner of breaking such mechanical connection may, of course, be manual,that is, the connecting link 18 may be cut with a suitable implement.However, the connecting link 18, in addition to providing sufficientmechanical strength to hold the flexed rods 12 securely to the article22, may comprise a conductive fuse element adapted for connection, asindicated, to a suitable control circuit 24. Upon sufiicient currentbeing supplied from control circuit 24 to Weaken such fuse, the outwardforce of the flexed rods 12 against the banding wire 16 will cause theconnecting link 18 to breakv Upon the mechanical linkage provided byconnecting link 18 being broken, the rods 12 are adapted to disengagethe article 22 by folding back covering material 20 and tending toassume a position in the plane of the hub 10 (Fig. l). The material 20may have folds so that it will readily unfold upon the rods 12unilexing, or the material 20 may be thin and drawn tightly over therods 12, whereupon the unflexed rods may tear through it. The coverdevice may then be removed with ease, as,

, desired position.

for example, by lifting away from the article 22 by means of a smallring 26 affixed to the top of the hub it).

The covering material 20 provided for the cover device of this inventionmay comprise material suitable for the protection required for thearticle 22. For example, if the article 22 requires only that protectionwhich can be provided by untreated paper, the covering material 29 maybe comprised of such untreated paper. On the other hand, coveringmaterial 20 may be exposed to the atmosphere, and it may be desirablethat it be substantially weatherproof; in this case, suitably treatedmaterial may be used as the covering material 2% The article 22 to beprotected may comprise electronic parts which may be susceptible toinjury, or whose eificiency may be damaged, by strong radiant energysignals in the vicinity thereof. The covering material 20, to beadequate for proper protection of an article 22 of this character, maycomprise material that is capable of reflecting and/or absorbing radiantenergy, such as aluminum foil of adequate thickness.

An adaptation of the cover device of the invention for use in thebottling industry is illustrated in Fig. 3. ferring to Fig. 3, a bottle,as indicated at 30, is adapted to be corked by means of a cover deviceutilizing a hub member in the form of a cap 32 for a cork or stopper 34.The cap 32 serves the same purpose as the hub of Figs 1 and 2, andflexible rods 12 are attached thereto in the same manner. Upon the cork34 being placed in the neck of the bottle 30, the ends of the flexiblerods 12 may be forced downwardly over the neck of the bottle 30, wherethey are secured in position by the use of handing wire 16 andconnecting link 18 in the manner previously described. The coveringmaterial 21) in this case may be any suitable covering material used inthe industry, such, for example, as metal foil. The ends of the rods 12may be rounded, as shown, so they can be gathered by hand to remove thecork 34 from the bottle 30; alternatively, a ring, such as ring 26 ofFig. 1, may be provided for removing cork 34.

Another adaptation of the cover device of the invention heretoforedescribed for use in the agricultural field is illustrated in Figs. 4and 5. In the agricultural field, extended use of paper bags, known ashot caps, is made for protecting young plants during an initial criticalperiod of growth. Heretofore, it has been the practice to coverindividual plants with such a paper bag, firmly packing dirt around theopen end of the paper bag to hold it to the ground, and relying upon theelements to effect deterioration of the paper at the end of suchcritical period of growth. Among the problems presented by the use ofsuch protective coverings is that of nonuniform deterioration of thepaper. In many instances,

partially deteriorated paper may be blown against the plant and injureit. In other instances, deterioration may not be sufliciently rapid tofree the plant from its covering so as to permit it to receivesufficient air and sunlight to further promote its growth. In suchinstances, vigil must be exercised to discover faulty coverings, andthey must be removed by hand from the plants. The use of the protectivecovering device of this invention to avoid such losses of investmentwill now be explained.

Referring to Fig. 4, a small hub member 4% is shown supporting fourflexible rods 42, 43, 44, 45 of the type previously described. As shown,two of the rods 44, 45, which are placed relatively close together, arelonger than the other rods 42, 43. In this embodiment of the invention,the rods 42, 43, 44, 45 preferably are held flexed only by the coveringmaterial 46 that surrounds them. Covering material 46 extends from thehub member 49 to a plane passing through the ends of the shorter rods42, 43. Projecting portions of the longer rods 44, 45 constitute prongs47, 48 which, for example, may be inserted in the ground for holding thecover device in a 4 As employed for the protection of young plants, thecovering material 46 may be placed over the plant and the prongs 47, 48inserted in the ground for anchoring the cover device over the plant.

The covering material 46 preferably is chemically treated so that itwill begin to deteriorate at the end of the desired period through whichprotective covering for a plant is required. At the termination of suchcritical period, upon weakening of the covering material 46, the flexedrods 42, 43 will tear through the covering material 46 and away from theplant thereunder. The covering material 46 will thus be torn and liftedaway from the I plant, thereby permitting air and sunlight to reach theplant for furthering its growth. The removed covering may thus completeits deterioration without injury to the plant and loss of investmenttherein.

Fig. 5 illustrates the position of the hub member 40 and rods 42, 43,44, 45 following the removal of the covering material 46 from a plant inthe manner above described. The longer rods 44, 45 will, of course, haveremained in the ground to provide a pivot around which the hub member 40and the shorter rods 42, 43 unflex. It is to be noted that the skeletalstructure provided by such hub member 40 and the rods 42, 43, 44, 45 isa salvageable article, because it may be removed from the ground andrecovered, thereby permitting its repeated use for the same purpose.

With reference to the flexible rods 12 (Figs. 1-3) and 42, 43, 44, 45(Figs. 4 and 5), they may be made of any suitable material. For example,such rods may be formed of suitable metals, such as Phosphor bronze, orthey may be formed of suitable plastic material adapted to be flexed andwhich has spring-like qualities.

From the foregoing, it is clear that there has been described animproved cover device for articles, in which self-releasing elements areprovided for permitting easy removal of such device from an article witha minimum of handling and possible abuse of the article.

What is claimed is:

l. A cover device adapted for disposition over articles to be protectedcomprising, in combination: a hub memher; a plurality of flexible rodscylindrical in cross section, having ends thereof secured to aperipheral portion of said hub member and normally biased fordisposition radially outwardly therefrom, said rods being adapted forflexation to establish a generally conical frame structure; laterallydisposed notches in each of said rods adjacent free ends thereof remotefrom said secured ends; an unsecured protective cover positioned on saidrods, said cover having a configuration conforming to said generallyconical frame structure established by said rods; a resilient bandingmember having free ends disposed about said protective cover andoverlyingsaid notches in said rods for maintaining said rods in a flexedposition and securing said cover thereto; and an electrically fusiblelink connected to said ends of said banding member for maintaining saidends together, said rods being adapted for flexation toward said normalradial position thereof upon fusation of said link to effect removal ofthe cover and rods from said article being protected.

2. A cover device according to claim 1 wherein said protective cover isof frangible, radiantly reflective material and adapted to tear awayupon said flexation of said rods toward said normal position thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS534,001 Northall a- Feb. 12, 1895 794,849 Brooks July 18, 1905 1,441,742OBrien Jan. 9, 1923 1,608,394 Henry Nov. 23, 1926 1,635,511 TevanderJuly 12, 1927 2,049,380 Huber July 28, 1936 new. .,....a I

